dronecombat-provenpartial data
Samad-3 (representative Houthi one-way attack drone)
UAV-X (Samad-2/3 family), Samad family
Long-range, propeller-driven one-way attack drone the Houthis use against targets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and beyond.
$2,000 eachRun it in the Exchange Ratio
| Maker | Ansar Allah (Houthi) forces; Iranian supply alleged |
|---|---|
| Origin | Yemen |
| First combat | 2018, Yemen war (strikes on Saudi Arabia and the UAE) |
| Length | 2.8 m |
| Span | 4.5 m |
| Launch weight | 107 kg |
| Warhead | 18 kg |
| Max range | 1,500 km |
| Propulsion | Rear-mounted piston engine driving a pusher propeller (Chinese DLE 170 or German 3W110i B2, per UN Panel of Experts) |
Picked as the representative named type because the UN Panel of Experts inspected Samad-3 wreckage (Shaybah, August 2019) and published its dimensions; the Samad-3 is a Samad-2 airframe with an extra external fuel tank. Range is the Houthi claim; an independent flight-performance model put the median at 1,831 to 2,101 km, and launch weight is that study's modelled maximum, not a measured figure. The widely quoted '$2,000 at most' figure (attributed to CSIS) covers Houthi one-way attack drones in general, mostly Iranian-made; no source found prices the Samad-3 itself, and the Houthis also field Shahed-131/136-derived Waad types.
Sources (9)
- Voskuijl et al., Flight Performance Analysis of the Samad Attack Drones, Science & Global Security 28(3), 2020 (citing UN Panel of Experts on Yemen) (length_m)
- Voskuijl et al. 2020 (UN Panel data; Samad-3 same wing as Samad-2) (span_m)
- Voskuijl et al. 2020, modelled maximum take-off mass 107.4 kg (launch_weight_kg)
- Voskuijl et al. 2020, payload 18 kg for Samad-2 and Samad-3 (warhead_kg)
- Wikipedia: Samad (UAV), Houthi-claimed 1,500 km (cites UN Panel of Experts 2019) (range_km)
- Voskuijl et al. 2020 citing UN Panel report (propulsion)
- Voskuijl et al. 2020: Houthi forces have deployed Samad-2/3 since 2018 (first_combat)
- Wikipedia: Samad (UAV), Iranian supply alleged (James Rogers) (maker)
- EurAsian Times: $2 Million Missile To Shoot Down $2,000 Drone (quotes CSIS; secondary, primary not retrieved) (notes)
